Sabah Protected Areas 2026 — 30% TPA, All Parks Listed

Sabah’s Conservation Milestone: 30% TPA Achieved

In February 2026 Sabah expanded its Totally Protected Areas to about 2.23 million hectares, 30% of its land, meeting the state's 30% target. The Borneo Post described it as the largest totally protected area of any Malaysian state (Borneo Post, 13 February 2026).

Major Protected Areas

Key terrestrial parks:

• Kinabalu Park (754 km², est. 1964): UNESCO World Heritage Site (2000) and part of the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark. Mount Kinabalu summit. 5,000–6,000 vascular plant species (Sabah Parks).
• Crocker Range Park (1,399 km², est. 1984): Sabah’s largest terrestrial park and the core of the Crocker Range UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (2014). Mountain range and cloud forest.
• Danum Valley Conservation Area (43,892 ha): Lowland rainforest managed by Yayasan Sabah, with a research field centre and a tourist lodge. Home to Menara, the world’s tallest tropical tree (100.8m) (Sabah Tourism Board, checked 7 October 2026).
• Maliau Basin Conservation Area (~58,800 ha): Sabah’s "Lost World", a ring-shaped basin of forest. Visits by permit only.
• Tawau Hills Park (280 km², est. 1979): Known for its giant yellow meranti trees (Sabah Tourism Board, checked 7 October 2026).

Key marine parks:

• Tun Sakaran Marine Park (35,000 ha, est. 2004): 8 islands, 528 reef fish species, 255 coral species.
• Tun Mustapha Park (898,763 ha, est. 2016): Malaysia’s largest marine park, covering the seas off Kudat, Pitas and Kota Marudu, including Banggi and its neighbouring islands.
• Turtle Islands Park (1,740 ha, est. 1977): Three islands off Sandakan. Green and hawksbill turtles — the only two species that nest regularly in Sabah. Limited visitor access.
• Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (about 50 km², est. 1974): Five islands off Kota Kinabalu (Manukan, Sapi, Mamutik, Sulug, Gaya). Day-trip destinations. 573 fish species recorded.

Conservation Strategies

• Ramsar wetland: the Lower Kinabatangan–Segama Wetlands (about 78,800 ha) are listed under the Ramsar Convention, and are important for proboscis monkeys, elephants and waterbirds.
• Research & Monitoring: Long-term studies at Danum Valley, Kinabalu Park, Danau Girang track population trends and ecosystem health.
• Forest Reserves: about 3.6 million hectares (48.6% of Sabah's land) is gazetted as Forest Reserve, which the state energy plan counts as a carbon sink (SE-RAMP 2040, p.131). See Sabah forests in numbers and Sabah carbon credits.
• Carbon finance: Sabah's Kuamut Rainforest Conservation Project supplied the credits for the first auction of Malaysian carbon credits on Bursa Carbon Exchange in 2024, more than 20,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent (13th Malaysia Plan, p.2-15).

Frequently asked questions